Advanced Brain and Spine Tumor Treatments using Radiosurgery Technology

Unlike conventional surgery, new radiosurgery technology is completely noninvasive and does not require a surgical incision. This eliminates the discomfort and complications associated with standard surgery.

Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corp. (Plainsboro, NJ, USA) reported that clinicians using the Radionics XKnife presented their latest developments in the treatment of brain and spine tumors on July 27, 2008, at the 50th annual meeting of the American Association of Physicists, held in Medicine in Houston, TX, USA. The Radionics XKnife radiosurgery system was developed, manufactured, and marketed by Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corp., through its Integra NeuroSciences team.

Dr. Satish Jaywant, associate professor of radiation oncology at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (New Brunswick, NJ, USA), presented his latest research using Radionics XKnife and ImageFusion software and cone beam computed tomography (CT) to achieve stereotactic accuracy for extracranial targets.

Dr. Nilendu Gupta, associate professor and chief of clinical medical physics at James Cancer Center at the Ohio State Medical Center (Columbus, OH, USA), also presented his research in commissioning the XKnife system for stereotactic spine treatments. Dr. Emilie Soisson, medical physicist and assistant researcher at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, presented her work on the Radionics InterFix system for intracranial stereotactic positioning for use on the TomoTherapy Hi-Art system.

"It's exciting to see the advances our customers are making to treat tumors throughout the body utilizing the Radionics XKnife system as well as the Radionics InterFix radiosurgery kit,” said Jason D. Ellnor, director of marketing for stereotaxy at Integra NeuroSciences.

With this technology, cancerous or other diseased tissue can be treated with focused radiation beams from a linear accelerator (linac) that are precisely guided using CT, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET) images. Neighboring normal tissue is spared and patients are typically able to leave the hospital immediately after their treatment. To date, over 45,000 patients have undergone Radionics XKnife radiosurgery.

The Radionics InterFix radiosurgery kit provides a way to adapt the existing Integra NeuroSciences stereotactic hardware to the TomoTherapy Hi-Art system for stereotactic treatment of cranial tumors and vascular malformations.

TomoTherapy, Inc. (Madison, WI, USA) develops, manufactures, and sells the TomoTherapy Hi-Art treatment system, an advanced radiation therapy system for the treatment of a wide variety of cancers. The Hi-Art treatment system combines integrated CT imaging with helical intensity modulated radiation therapy to provide advanced treatments with speed and precision while reducing radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissue.

Integra LifeSciences develops systems to improving the quality of life for patients through the development, manufacturing, and marketing of cost-effective surgical implants and medical instruments. The company's products are used to treat millions of patients every year, primarily in neurosurgery, extremity reconstruction, orthopedics, and general surgery.

Related Links:
Integra LifeSciences
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Ohio State Medical Center
TomoTherapy